


Caf-Pow Assault

by Mhalachai



Category: NCIS
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-29
Updated: 2011-10-29
Packaged: 2017-10-25 01:52:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/270418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mhalachai/pseuds/Mhalachai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chip's little stunt isn't going to make Abby's life any easier. (Episode tag to Season 3's "Framed")</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caf-Pow Assault

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on LJ in 2008.

Thursday morning. A good time of the week, Abby reflected as she waited for the ancient elevator to creep down to her lab. It was almost Friday, and Friday nights always had the best parties, except when Abby had to work on the weekends, but even then that was kind of okay because it meant Gibbs would be there to bring her Caf-Pow and the building was relatively quiet and she could take up two parking stalls with her car and no one would yell at her.

Not that she'd listen anyway.

"Thursday, Thursday," she mused aloud, letting her tongue curl against her teeth to over-enunciate the syllables. The exercise flashed her back to stifling summer hours in her speech therapist's office, going over words again and again and it was so boring and stupid because it was easier to sign things anyway, and her parents knew what she meant when she signed and her baby brother would too, one day, and couldn't she just go outside already?

But she'd never had speech sessions on Thursday, which made that day even better in its recollection.

The elevator door swung open, disgorging Abby into the hallway. Sharp cleaning scents drifted through the open lab door, crashing through Abby's reverie and stopping her in her tracks.

The door was supposed to be closed and locked because she no longer had an assistant, as that useless mustachioed pencil-necked psychopath _Chip_ was in jail for trying to frame Tony for murder. True, Abby had taken off the previous day to sleep off a three-day science bender, but she swore, if Chip had escaped and was in her lab, she wasn't going to just tie him up this time, she was going to pound him over his pointy head with a hat-stand--

All of her planning was swept away as the Director walked out of Abby's office onto the lab floor. "You're in early," the woman observed a faint smile on her face. "I hope you took the day yesterday to catch up on some sleep."

Abby edged into the room, looking around for any remaining indicators of the fight with Chip from Tuesday night, but the cleaning staff had been through and the place was sparkly new. Well, as sparkly as things could be in the basement. "A bit," Abby said, feeling suddenly awkward as her hands moved to sign the words before she remembered that only Gibbs could understand her when she did that. She needed caffeine. "Do, um, do you need something?" _I must not call her Madam Director,_ Abby thought, her right hand curling into an involuntary _M_ and her left to a _D_. Gibbs would have thought it was funny.

"Yes, I need to speak with you for a few minutes," the Director said. She motioned towards Abby's office. Abby desperately wanted to say _no_ , because no good ever came out of Director's office directives, and why wouldn't the woman just ignore her like the previous directors did? But five and a half feet of a terrifyingly powerful red-head was staring at her with rather intimidating pretty green eyes that were expecting an answer, so Abby just put her lunchbox in the fridge and hung up her coat.

The office felt strange without any music. Abby automatically went for her chair, but stopped before sitting down. "Do you want this chair?" she asked. Maybe the Director would want the more comfortable chair. Did Directors want the comfy chairs or did they want to stand tall over the people they were directing?

A horrible thought tore through Abby's mind. Oh god, she wasn't getting fired, was she? Because she hadn't seen through Chip's little facade sooner? Because she hadn't caught on to the forensic evidence framing Tony quicker?

"This chair is fine, Abby." The Director sat on the visitor's chair, folding her hands together on top of her leather folder. She waited until Abby had seated herself on the edge of her chair. "There are a few things I'd like to go over regarding Charles Sterling--"

"He's in jail, right?" Abby interrupted. She was certain that Gibbs would have tolerated nothing less, for trying to frame his favorite senior field agent and attacking his favorite Abby, but the Director's presence had thrown things topsy-turvy and if there was someone else out there stalking her--

"He's in custody, yes," the Director assured her. "Where he will stay for a very long time."

"Oh. Good, then," Abby stammered.

The Director drew a piece of paper from her folder. "First off, I've had a copy of this letter of commendation placed in your folder, regarding your actions over the past few days." She handed the page to Abby. "Your tireless actions in pursuit of the individual framing Agent DiNozzo were invaluable in securing his vindication."

"That and the attack of the flying Caf-Pow," Abby said, mind unable to translate the words on the page into language. The paper lay heavy and smooth on her fingers, the blue ink of the Director's signature the only thing decipherable in Abby's line of vision.

"And the Caf-Pow," the Director said, deadpan. "I trust that Agent DiNozzo and Jethro have already expressed their thanks--"

Once they'd determined that Abby was totally uninjured from Chip's attack, Tony had hugged Abby so hard she still had the bruises and Gibbs had driven her home and walked her to her door and had given her a hug and had told her he was sorry he'd let that bastard so close to her and she'd hit him weakly in the arm, and he'd kissed her hair and told her she could watch his back any day of the week and it had been the nicest thing he'd ever said to her and she'd passed out on the couch a happy camper.

"--and I wanted to say thank you on behalf of the Agency for helping us identify someone who could have potentially undermined all that we are working for."

Abby shrugged, her toes curling up in her platform boots. "The bastard was trying to frame Tony, and no one messes with my team," she said. Yes, it was pretentious and more than a little like something Gibbs would say, but it was damned true. No one messed with Team Gibbs. They were her team too. Well, maybe someone could mess with Ziva, but Ziva could take care of herself in ways the boys seemed incapable, but that was Abby's little secret.

The Director's smile grew. "Truer words were never spoken." She closed her folder. "Which brings me to my second point."

Abby let the letter of commendation flutter to the desk. A giant gaping pit opened in her stomach. What _now_?

"In light of Mr. Sterling's actions, the evidence in every case that has come through this lab since he began working here will need to be re-examined."

The gaping pit in Abby's stomach turned to a frozen lead balloon. All the evidence in every case over two months, combined with all the new cases coming in... she'd never be able to leave the office again!

"I know it's an immense amount of work," the Director said. "I'm going to assign another NCIS forensic specialist--"

She couldn't do this. Abby couldn't do this, not again, not another assistant. Didn't anyone ever _learn_? Abby tried to drawn in enough air to say, _I quit_ or _I need Gibbs_ , she wasn't sure which, but the lead balloon wasn't letting the air in.

"--on a temporary basis until the evidence has been re-examined and we can be sure that Mr. Sterling hasn't contaminated any evidence."

The lead balloon in Abby's gut popped or shattered, whatever it was that lead balloons did. "I-- uh-wha?"

The Director sat back in the chair, a smile playing on her lips. "William Watson has agreed to fly out from San Diego for a week to tidy up this mess. He needs to be back in California by the end of next week as he's scheduled to testify in a trafficking case. Do you think that will be enough time to review the evidence before you're back on your own?"

She got to work alone again. Abby could have kissed the woman. Well, not really because the Director was kind of scary and Gibbs' ex-partner, and Abby wasn't going to _go there_ even if the red-head did have a gorgeous smile (and she was _never_ going to tell Tim or Tony that because they'd never let her live it down).

Belatedly, Abby realized she should probably accept the offer before it was rescinded and she was saddled with another evidence perverter. "Yes ma'am!"

The Director stood and Abby stood, and towering over the woman wasn't strange or awkward anymore, it was just Abby comfortable in her own shoes. "Mr. Watson should be here this afternoon."

Abby waved a black-lace-gloved hand. "Me and Bill, we're square," she said. "His paper last year on removing fingerprints from non-smooth surfaces? Totally hot."

"I'll take your word for it," the Director said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find out who exactly it was in human resources approved the hiring of someone tried to frame one of my field agents for murder."

"You can borrow my thumbscrews if you want," Abby offered.

"I'll be fine, thanks," the Director said, and Abby wasn't sure if she was still being deadpan or what. "I learned with the best, remember?"

As if summoned by a thought, Jethro Gibbs breezed into the lab, hands full of coffee and Caf-Pow. His pace slackened somewhat when he spotted the Director. "Good morning," he said, not sounding as if he meant it.

The Director sighed. "If you find you need anything, Abby, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

"Yes ma'am, Director Ma'am!" Abby all but saluted. She had Tony back, and her lab back, and a letter of commendation that probably said some nice things even if Abby hadn't been able to read it yet, which was a nice gesture on the Director's part.

The Director smiled at Abby, gave Gibbs an indecipherable look, and vacated the lab.

Abby grinned at Gibbs. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked, still standing at attention.

He wasn't having any of it. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, sir! Reporting for duty, sir!" She flung up her hand in a salute and almost put Gibbs' left eye out. Luckily his Marine reflexes didn't let him down, and he managed to shove the Caf-Pow into her hand and push her in the direction of the computer without bodily harm. "What is it? It's like early o'clock. Or, um, early-o-hundred hours, sir--"

"We missed you yesterday," Gibbs said in her ear. "McGee did some computer thing and I need you to look at it."

"Why, you don't trust Timmy's bits and bytes?" she said around gulps of the Caf-Pow.

"I want your eyes on this, Abbs."

That was all she needed to hear. She put down the Caf-Pow and cracked her knuckles. "Bring it on, baby."

She quickly became so buried in the code that she lost track of Gibbs. After a few minutes, she looked around to see him in her office, looking at the letter of commendation with a small smile on his face.

Abby quickly went back to her computer, not fighting a smile of her own. Maybe having the new director around might be kind of okay, after all.

 _and then McGee shot a cop and Abby had a stalker and life went to hell but whatever the end_


End file.
